Prep football: Alfaro boots Lely past Cape Coral

Down 22-20, Lely's Sergio Alfaro booted the game-winning field goal with 3:59 to play, as the Trojans held on and spoiled Cape Coral’s homecoming with 23-22 victory Friday night. Video by NBC-2

Video by NBC-2

CAPE CORAL - LELY 23, CAPE CORAL 22

L 0 13 7 3 — 23

CC 2 0 22 0 — 22

SCORING

First quarter

CC — Safety, 0:30

Second quarter

L — Dirogene 5 run (Alfaro kick), 2:16

L — Pierre 29 pass from Dirogene (pass failed), 0:26

Third quarter

CC — Atkins 0 fumble recovery (Fragaso kick), 10:16

CC — Gaymon 29 pass from Bontrager (Fragaso kick), 7:10

CC — Smart 2 run (kick failed), 1:46

L — Mobley 72 run (Alfaro kick), 1:26

Fourth quarter

L — Alfaro 35 FG, 3:59

First-year Lely coach Stacey Stewart called it the biggest moment of his young kicker's sporting life.

Down 22-20, Sergio Alfaro booted the game-winning field goal with 3:59 to play, as the Trojans held on and spoiled Cape Coral's homecoming with 23-22 victory Friday night.

"We don't care if we win 45-0 or 2-0. What a clutch kick for him to pull us through," Stewart said. "We talked about 10 minutes before and I told Sergio that he was going to make that kick. What poise."

With eight minutes to play, Lely drove 40 yards in six minutes behind a steady dose of runs from DeWarren Mobley and Marvin Libersiste, but the Cape Coral defense forced a fourth down and tough choice for the first-year coach. The Trojans lined up to go for it, but a delay of game penalty pushed them back and Stewart sent out the field goal unit.

Alfaro calmly walked out and drilled it right down the middle to push Lely to 2-1 on the season.

But for much of the second half, the Trojans were their own worst enemy. Two collapses on special teams and three fumbles almost proved too much to overcome. After managing just 25 yards and two first downs in the first half, Cape Coral rattled off 22 points in seven minutes in the third quarter.

After going into the half with a 13-2 lead, Lely fumbled a punt in its own end zone to start the third. Cape Coral's Aaron Atkins fell on the ball, cutting the Trojans' lead to 13-9 and allowing the Seahawks back in the game.

On the ensuing drive, Lely was forced to punt again, but tried a fake with a direct snap. It was stuffed and Cape Coral took over on its own 37. Two plays later, Seahawks quarterback Dylan Bontrager found Rashaan Gaymon on a 29-yard strike to cut Lely's lead to two.

Cape Coral then drove 79 yards on 10 plays to take its first lead of the night with 1:36 to play in the third. Tailback Eamon Smart powered it in from 2 yards out to cap the drive.

"We're a scrappy bunch of guys that don't give up," Stewart said. "At that point, I just said, ‘don't get your heads down.' We had done some good things up until that point, and told them we were still going to win the game and to keep fighting."

The Seahawks had all the momentum, that is, until Mobley finally broke out. Mobley had been quiet all game with only 20 yards rushing, but with time winding down in the third, he suddenly busted a routine off-tackle to the outside and sprinted 72 yards to the pay dirt, and ultimately setting the table for Alfaro's heroics.

In the first half, Lely's Karbiel Dirogene rushed for one touchdown and threw for another, and the defense did the rest.

Behind a stellar effort from Dirogene, Aaron Underwood and Adam Johnson, the Trojans defense stifled Cape Coral in the opening two quarters, allowing just two first downs and 28 total yards. The defensive line won the battle in the trenches and the two linebackers flew to the football, recording a total of 15 tackles and three sacks.

Both of Lely's first-half scores resulted from the defense forcing turnovers, and Dirogene took over from there.

"When we come together, great things are going to happen," Dirogene said. "When we don't, the third quarter happens. We'll learn from it, and the important thing is we came out of a tough place with a win."